First Nations Voice

DECEMBER 2012 • PAGE 5 giving back. That's why Don Amero started the tradition of putting on a concert called Amero Little Christmas. "I've always been a big fan of Christmas, Featuring Don Amero & Red Moon Road Christmas is about celebrating, sharing, and and there are a few other local Winnipeg bands that have created a Christmas show after their name," says Don Amero. "For instance, JP Hoe puts on a concert called the JP Hoe Hoe Hoe Holiday Show, and Quinzy does one called Quinzmas. So I thought, why not Amero little Christmas? That sounded pretty good." After his first successful concert in 2010, Amero Little Christmas just did one small thing to help someone else, the world would be a better place." For Don, Christmas is a time of sharing in the company of loved ones. "My family doesn't get together that much throughout the year, so for me, it's a time to catch up, enjoy a warm meal together and just see the whole family for the day. I wish there were more Christmases during the year." With a growing family, the holidays are even Don decided to make it an annual event. "I figured it would be a fun tradition to carry on throughout my career. I love the holiday sea- son and the music that comes along with it, so it all kind of fits." This marks the third year Don is putting on Amero Little Christmas, and he's taking the show on the road. Performances will happen in Winnipeg, Brandon, Virden, Dauphin, Neepa- wa, St-Pierre-Jolys, and Kenora. Sharing the stage will be Red Moon Road, a down-home, acoustic folk and roots band with the right mix of East Coast and country charm. Amero Little Christmas is a festive evening ing along on my Christmas tour next year. That will be the best Christmas gift of all." of music, videos, stories and songs. The audi- ence will enjoy Christmas classics, as well as Don's own original Christmas music that he released last year on an EP called Christmas- time. Partial proceeds from Amero Little Christ- mas will help raise money for Canadian Feed The Children, an organization helping families here in Canada. Now that Don has a child of his own – his son Oscar turns one this November – he is even more passionate about doing what he can for others. "It's really sad to think there are children December 16 – St-Pierre-Jolys MB (The Sugar Shack) December 13 – Neepawa MB (Viscount Cultural Centre) December 14 – Winnipeg MB (West End Cultural Centre) December 15 – Kenora ON (Water of Life Church) December 12 – Dauphin MB (Watson Arts Centre) December 7 – Brandon MB (Redeemer Lutheran Church) December 9 – Virden MB (The Aud) Advance tickets for all shows are $15 Visit www.donamero.com to find out how to purchase tickets right here in our own country that don't get enough food to eat, and proper nutrition," says Don. "If I can help raise awareness of this is- sue, and donate some money to the cause, then I feel like I'm doing my part. If everyone www.canadianfeedthechildren.ca -RoseAnna Schick Partial proceeds in support of Canadian Feed The Children more special now. "It excites me to start some new traditions with my son Oscar and wife Pam. One I am excited about is driving through Winnipeg neighbourhoods to look at the lights. I love seeing houses all lit up for Christmas." "I also like the idea of Oscar and Pam com- 19 Nominations, Seven Years, One Sweet Win Story for First Nations Voice tions in seven years, Winnipeg's Don Amero finally got to take home an Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Award. On Novem- ber 2, he proudly laid claim to Male Entertainer of the Year at the 7th annual awards gala – and couldn't be happier. "It feels great to finally get It finally happened. After racking up 19 nomina- one, I've had a spot waiting for it on my shelf for a long time now," joked Amero, who received three APCMA nominations this year. "I'm really honoured that the fans who voted this year chose me. As musicians, we make mu- sic because we're driven to share it with people who love music. Without the music fans, we would not be able to do what we love to do. So thank you to all of you who love music as much as we do – I share my APCMA with you." You can call Don Amero one of the hardest working inde- pendent musicians in showbiz today. Since leaving his job as a hardwood flooring installer five years ago to pursue music full- time, the singer/songwriter has toured coast-to-coast, headlined concerts, presented at festivals, performed with the symphony, fourth album, called Heart On My Sleeve. A self-produced labour of love, he proudly calls it his most personal album to date. If you listen from beginning to end, it tells a story. Heart On My Sleeve was released at an "intimate and international" house concert streamed live on APTN.ca. You can still watch the entire 90-min- ute concert, and his brand new music video, online at www.aptn. ca/webstagepass. On the radio front, Don has seen four songs climb to #1 on the National Aboriginal Count- the APCMAs, Don's three albums (Change Your Life, Deepening, The Long Way Home) have gen- erated five other national/inter- national awards – Best Country Song (2012 Indian Summer Music Awards), Aboriginal Recording of the Year (2011 Western Canadian Music Awards), Best Folk Record- ing (2011 Native American Music Awards), Aboriginal Songwriter of the Year (2009 Canadian Folk Music Awards), Male Artist of the Year (2009 Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards) – and 20 nomina- tions. In October, Don released his and played national television. In addition to the recent win at down. Two tracks – Turn These Grey Skies Blue and original holi- day song All I Need This Christ- mas – earned notable "most active download" designations on DMDS.com, and were spun on commercial stations across Canada. Don captivates audiences of all ages with his powerful melo- dious vocals, percussion-style guitar play, and engaging story- telling. He is often called upon as a keynote speaker, and to deliver workshops for youth. His story inspires, and his message is one of encouragement, positivity and beauty. He continues to impress wherever he goes. There's no doubt Don will continue to rack up the award nominations, and take home more hardware in the future. And even though he'll always have room on his shelf for more trophies, the APCMA is so far his most trea- sured. "While I'm extremely grate- ful for all of the awards I've been given so far, I'm especially hon- oured to receive an APCMA, be- cause these awards are voted on by the fans. To me, that makes it the sweetest win of all." -RoseAnna Schick

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